System of steam distribution and condensation control



June 16, 1925. 1,542,100

w. H. ROSE SYSTEM OF STEAM DISTRIBUTION AND CONDENSATION CONTROL Filed Sept. 14. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor f/Jaw, W 4? fyyjmwl g.

June 16, 1925. 1,542,100

w. H. ROSE SYSTEM OF STEAM DISTRIBUTION AND CONDENSATION CONTROL Filed Sept. 14 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor 714mm, 4 PM Patented June 16, 1925.

UNITED STATES WILLIAM HUGH ROSE, OF TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA.

SYSTEM OF STEAM DISTRIBUTION AND CONDEN'SATION CONTROL.

Application filed September 14, 1922. Serial No. 588,274.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM HUGH Rosn, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and resident of the city of Toronto, county of York, Province of Ontario, in the Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a System of Steam Distribution and Condensation Control, described in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, that form part of the same.

The principal objects of the invention are to effect the distribution of steam through a battery of heat distributing units in a steady and continuous flow at a uniformly decreasing temperature thereby maintaining a uniform heat or temperature difference between the inside and the outside of the heating units and thereby obtaining the maximum of efficiency in the heating units.

Further objects are to provide heating surfaces which are uniformly subjected to steam in active circulation by the removal of all obstruction to the flow such as steam traps etc. thereby ensuring uniform conditions for the transfer of heat to the material subjected to the units and for the removal of air and water from the steam.

The principal feature of the invention consists in the novel manner of establishing a closed circuit from the boiler to and through the heating units and back to the boiler whereby the steam is automatically conducted through a plurality of batteries or groups of units successively and in pro portion to their condensing powers and heat requirements, and whereby the condensate is separated between such batteries and re turned directly from the separating means to the boiler.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a diagrammatic elevational view of a set of drying rolls to which the invention is applied.

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the flash tank and separator.

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail of one of the equalizer tanks.

In the example of the invention illustrated herein the drying rolls are divided into three batteries, the exhaust steam from one battery producing a lower pressure in the next, the expansion effecting the drying of the steam as, it flows from one battery to the other. The main steam supply pipe 1 leads from a suitable generator, not shown, to the end of the series of rolls from which the dried product passes. A plurality of individual feed pipes 2 are tapped into the horizontally arranged leg 3 0f the steam supply and connected directly to the individual rolls 4. Stop valves 5 are arranged in the leg 3 dividing the leg in sections and the rolls into batteries.

Return steam pipes 6 are individually connected to the rolls 4 and lead downwardly to the return steam pipe 7. This pipe is preferably formed with an expansion loop 8 and is divided into sections by the stop valves 9 arranged to correspond with the stop valves 5 in the steam leg 3.

Branches 10 extend downwardly from the return steam pipe 7 and lead to the flash tank and separators 11. The expanded steam and condensation flows without restriction from the rolls 4 through the pipes 6, 7 and 10 to the flash tank where the condensate is precipitated and the air is removed by means of a suitable air valve on top of the tank. The steam at lower pressure flows out through the pipes 12 to the section of the leg 3 beyond the next stop valve 5. This lower pressure steam flows through the feed pipes 2 to the rolls 4 of the succeeding battery, the condensate being returned and collected in the several flash tanks of the system according to the number of batteries. The entrained moisture is expanded and reevalporated upon entering the succeeding rol s.

The terminal end of the return steam pipe is connected with the receiving tank 13 upon which is arranged a suitable vapor pump 14 to withdraw and discharge the ex cess air accumulating.

Each of the flash tanks 11 is provided with outflow pipes 15 leading from the bottom and these conduct the condensate to the equalizer tank 16 entering through the check valve 17. The pipes 15 are preferably connected to the equalizer tanks by T connections which are also connected through a T connection 18 with a pipe line 20 leading to the boiler feed tanks here shown as a duplex set which are arranged above the top of the boiler.

The boiler feed tanks 26 which are used to return the condensate to the steam generator, and their operating mechanism here shown, are fully described in my co-pending application No. 588,273 and are not a necessary part of the present invention though they are preferably used.

Each of the equalizer tanks 16 is connected with a steam line 22 leading from the main steam supply 1 or from any suitable fluid pressure supply which will overcome the resistance and pressure of the feed tanks and elevate the water therefrom. Each branch steam line 22 leading to the tanks 16 leads through a balanced control valve 23 (see Figure 3). The valve 23 is normally held closed by the pressure in the line 22 and is operated to open by a diaphragm arranged in the top 23 which is balanced by the steam pressure on both sides through the branch steam pipes a and I) connected to the pipe 22. A hydrostatic column 24 connected with the top of the equalizer tank connects with the pipe I) on one side of the diaphragm so that when the level of water in the tank rises to a predetermined height. the hydrostatic column will be filled and the weight of the column of water will unbalance the control valve and admit the direct boiler pressure steam to the equalizer tank. This pressure, being so much greater than the return pressure leading into the tank from the flash tank, forces the Water from the tank 16 to the boiler feed tanks.

Upon the emptying of the equalizer tank the hydrostatic column is drained clear and the steam valve 23 being again equalized closes off the live steam supply to the tank, allowing the return pressure from the flash tank to again force the condensate in the flash tank to the equalizer tank.

It will be understood from this description that the number of units contained in a battery will be regulated according tothe capacity of the flash tank and separator to function properly and with economy and according to the condensing power or heat requirements of the battery which is operating under different pressure or temperature conditions, to pass along a dry steam to the succeeding battery and this scheme is carried along according tothe service required until the steam becomes too low in temperature to be economically useful. The

various units will therefore be maintained b at their maximum capacity, that is to say, their entire surface will be constantly in contact with the heating element not being insulated by dead air spaces and condensate as there is no restriction to flow and circulation is active all the time.

The result of such an arrangement of apparatus is to obtain from the steam the very maximum of its efiiciency, expanding it from one battery to another and utilizing the various temperatures and pressures ac cording to the application of heat required in the plant.

In the application herein. shown the hottest steam is applied to the dry end rolls of a paper dryer and after passing through a battery of these rolls this steam is separated from the condensate and passed through a secondary battery and finally through a third battery at the wet end of the rolls where the lowest degree of heat in the rolls is desired. That is to say, the wet paper stock passes first between the low heat rolls, and receives a certain amount of heat, and its effect in passing through the secondary battery is not as destructive to the efficiency of the heat in that set as it would be if not preheated, and finally it emerges from the dry end Where it is subjected to the highest heat of the dry live steam from the boiler.

The details of the flash tank are not essential to the operation of this apparatus and the construction of the equalizer tanks may also be altered without departing from the spirit of the invention which is to dry the steam at intervals and cause a gradual pres sure and temperature drop separating the condensate and air therefrom and to carry the condensate back to the boiler in the most economical manner.

The duplex boiler feeder illustrated comprises a pair of tanks 25 and 26, the bottoms of which are connected with the feeds from the equalizer tanks and an automatic valve 27 is arranged to direct the flow into the tanks alternately. These tanks are operated similarly to the equalizer tanks to force the water therein into the boiler. The details of operation of the feed tanks are not herein described as they form the subject matter of a separate patent application.

What I claim as my invention is 1. A system of steam distribution and condensation control, comprising, the arrangement of a plurality of heat distributing units into batteries, a separator for each battery the units of each battery having a free discharge to a separator, and the dry steam from the separator being directed to E the units of the succeeding battery.

2. .A system of steam distribution and condensation control, comprising in combination with a steam generator, the arrangement of a plurality of heat distributing units into atteries, a separator for each battery the units of each battery having a free discharge to a separator the dry steam from the separator being directed to the units of the succeeding battery, and means for returning the condensate from the separator to the steam generator.

3. A system of steam distribution and condensation control, comprising the combination with a steam generator, of a plurality of heat distributing units, a steam line leading from the generator, a plurality of pipes connecting the steam line direct to individual units, a return steam pipe, pipes individually connecting said units with said return steam pipes, a flash tank and separator connected with means for taking the condensate from said the return steam pipe, no

flash tank, a steam pipe leading from the flash tank, individual steam pipes connected with the pipe from said fiash tank to a plurality of individual heating units, a return steam pipe, individual connections from said second battery of individual units to the latter return steam pipe, and means for returning of the final condensate from the return steam pipes to the source of steam supply.

4. A system of steam distribution and condensation control, comprising the combination with a steam generator, of a plurality of batteries of individual heating units, a steam line leading directly from a steam generator to the first of said batteries, a return steam pipe forming an unobstructed collector of the low pressure steam and condensate from said battery, a separator adapted to remove the condensate from the exhaust steam, means for directing the dry steam from the separator to the secondary battery, an equalizer tank adapted to receive the condensate from the separator, means for elevating the condensate to a point above the generator, and means for discharging the elevated condensate into the generator.

5. A system of steam distribution and condensation control, comprising the combination wit-h a steam generator, of a plurality of batteries of individual heating units, a steam pipe leading from a generator and having stop valves dividing it into sections, steam pipes leading from said sections to individual units of said batteries, return steam pipes leading from said individual units, a return steam pipe connecting with the latter pipes, said return steam pipe having stop valves therein dividing it into sections, separator tanks connected with each of said return pipe sections, pipes leading from said separator tanks and connected to the steam connection of the succeeding battery, individual equalizing tanks connected with the water condensation discharge from the separators, and means for transmitting the condensate from said equalizing tanks back to the steam generator.

WILLIAM HUGH RO SE. 

